Page 35 of One Wicked Secret
Daniel hadn’t lied. He hadn’t entertained another woman, not in thought nor deed, since they had exchanged vows. He hadn’t touched a woman since that night two years ago when he cupped Elsa’s nape beneath the oak tree, and they’d almost kissed in the rain.
He swallowed hard, his pulse hammering as he let the truth settle between them. If she’d married Lord Denby, he would have taken a mistress—but never a wife, not when she owned his heart.
Elsa lifted her chin, her breath quick and shallow, her darkened blue eyes deep and endless—pulling him under like a tide too strong to resist. “I’ve waited so long to touch you, to taste you. Don’t make me wait another second.”
Their mouths met in a collision of heat and longing, years of restraint shattering in an instant. He groaned against her lips, tangling his fingers in her hair, his other hand sliding to her waist, desperate to hold her, to anchor himself in the storm of need threatening to consume him.
Nothing else existed. Not the lies, not the distrust, not thecase that had led them here. Just this—the way she melted into him, the way her body softened against his.
He kissed her deeper, sliding his tongue into her mouth, his blood roaring with the knowledge that, despite everything, she still wanted him. Badly. So badly they wouldn’t stop until he was buried inside her, possessing her completely.
The thought hardened his already throbbing cock.
She was temptation itself, and he burned for her.
She broke away, her voice a hushed, desperate plea: “Tell me this is real.” Her hands traced the line of his jaw, trembling as she pulled him back to her, her lips urgently seeking his again.
Oh, this was real.
Lust was a fire in his veins.
His solid member was about to burst out of his trousers.
The desire to fill her, to thrust to the hilt, to have her tight channel hug the entire length of him, drove him insane.
You’re mine!
Do you hear me?
Mine!
“Dalton?” Rothley called, his rotten timing ruining the moment. “Are you still hiding amongst the tropical palms?” The marquess stepped into the hothouse, forcing him to drag his lips from Elsa’s.
Daniel smiled slowly as he drank her in: the flush of her cheeks, the sparkle of desire in her eyes, her plump lips, moist and swollen from his fervent kisses.
Their breathless pants betrayed their location. He released her, battling the primal urge to sweep her into his arms, visit her old bedchamber and make love until morning.
“Is the coast clear?” Daniel called, giving the impression they were hiding on purpose. He cupped Elsa’s cheek,brushed the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip, and whispered, “I won’t wait six months to kiss you again.”
Had he consummated their union, he would never have left Henley. Even now, knowing their lives were at stake, he considered selling his investments, packing a valise and running away with her to Geneva.
But who would care for Clara?
What if the killer followed them to Switzerland?
What if nowhere was safe?
“Yes,” Rothley replied. “We escorted the brainless fools to the main gate. I confiscated the key to the house.” He paused, giving an amused snort. “Ah. I see you’re in no hurry to leave the verdure. I’ll wait outside while you finish examining the fronds.”
“There’s no need to leave,” Elsa said, stepping out from behind the exotic foliage. “Did the men say who they were working for?”
“A land agent from London who claimed he was acting on behalf of the owner, although the description is rather vague.” Rothley gave a knowing grin when Daniel emerged, discreetly adjusting himself in his trousers. “He recruited them at The Speckled Hen, an inn on the Bath Road near the turnpike.”
Daniel knew it well. “We’ll pay them a visit tomorrow. They must have a means of contacting the agent.” He wouldn’t leave The Speckled Hen without the name of the mysterious fellow.
“They were paid to patrol the estate and prevent anyone from entering the house, by force if necessary.”
The evidence in the journal must be damning for someone to go to such extremes. “We have a few days’ grace beforethe agent receives news that you’re the new owner of Edenberry,” he said.
